My first tattoo

So, for the longest time I wanted a tattoo. I think most mildly rebellious teenagers think one day they'll bite the bullet and do it. That changed when I got to school- I've see soooo many kids with really horrible tattoos that they will begin to hate within a few years. I knew that, if I got something, I'd have to really have a reason to do it and I'd have to get consent from my folks. By last summer I was so past the idea of getting one that I just kinda expected I'd never want one again. Since I've been to France, though, that sentiment changed. Within a few days of being here, I realized that this was an experience I wanted to stay with me forever. Every day I do my best to let France make an impression on me, but no matter what I do in my short time here I realize that one day I'll be back home and this will just be a memory. So, I decided that I wanted to make an impression on myself that I could never forget- a scar from the most beautiful experience of my life. After two days of being here, I got the idea to get "LIBERTE EGALITE FRATERNITE OU LA MORT" tattooed. I didn't want to make a quick decision and end up hating what I got, so I waited for almost half of my time here before I took any action. The phrase "liberté, egalité, fraternité" is the french motto and has been since the 18th century, with the exception of the nazi occupation in France. Prior to Reign of Terror, the entire phrase was "liberté, égalité, fraternité, ou la mort" (meaning "liberty, equality, brotherhood, or death") but the last part was dropped because of the horrorible resistence to the french revolution that took so many lives. For my tattoo, I decided to include it as a symbol for the history of France, a large part of why the culture is so rich. Besides the aforementioned reasons, I decided to get this tattoo as a reminder of why I find France so interesting. Their society has always fought for progression and always cared for things I find most important in life. Though the French are not a perfect people, the things I've learned here will stick with me forever. The fact that this society doesn't question whether or not healthcare should be controlled by the government because it is necessary for every human's livelihood is something that, for me, has always been obvious. Though this is just one example, it is one of the many, many reasons why i feel so strongly about France. Being here has made me understand why I believe what I do politically, and what I hope American can one day be more like.

In short, I love France.

I made an appointment two weeks before the "big day" to get my tattoo at a premier shop in Paris (Anomaly). I made the appointment in the store so I could make sure they cleaned their needles, ran a good business, and seemed overall legit. The shop itself was very clean with white walls and black tile floor. Only one of the artists spoke english, and I wanted to make sure I got my tattoo somewhere where they understood clearly what I wanted. I made sure that I made the appointment with a Frenchman who did not speak English as a sort of stupid symbolism for some one truly French leaving this "impression" on me. My friend Lily came with my to document it and be general support. Before getting it done, I was super anxious and was really doubting if I could handle the pain, but Lily was very supportive and kept reminding me about how this was fun and not scary. We got to the tattoo place early and designed the sketch for it using Century Gothic, or something similar to that. The guys who worked there were super nice and let me play whatever music I wanted on the speakers. I chose Strawberry Jam by Animal Collective because it's like comfort food to me. I sat down in the chair, lifted my arm and let him start. The pain was surprisingly mild, especially for the place I chose. The best description I could think of was that it felt like a vibrating pen being pushed on your skin hard. The session lasted about 45 minutes and by the end I was sad it was over! It was a really fun experience and just another thing I can cross off my list of things to do before I die. At this rate, I can return to the states and die a happy man. After all, this experience has been the most fulfilling thing in my life!

Applying the "sketch" tattoo on my arm!

Perfect!

Here we go! The gang is all here!

All done!

Anomaly's adorable dog.